640. It was surmised that these were the worst of them, who in bodily life had striven to own the heaven of our Savior, by their own power, and had thus misled the innocent. They were said to have an influence, but one that was tempered in various ways. Even on the way, before their cunning or poison reached me, it was taken up by spirits in between, and thus also tempered. These seem to be the ones who inspire the trickery in those whose ambition is to own heaven, or to possess all power in heaven and on earth. They are among the stars of the dragon and should rather be called "the beast of Babylon," spoken of in Revelation [17:3 and elsewhere].